Texas Case Highlights Death Penalty Inequity

Texas leads the nation in executions: 35 percent of the country's executions since 1977 took place in Texas. It's home to 7.8 percent of the nation's population.

And it's about to make the history books by executing a man for murder ... when he did not kill anyone.

Read what happened that night in 1996 from the best friend of the man who was murdered. (tip)

Read what lawyers, district attorneys and the like have to say about the case, from ABC News.

Then look at the chart -- the one that shows a clear political divide in this country. It's one where we could argue that the old testament (eye for an eye) trumps the new testament (turn the other cheek). If you live in a red state, you are more likely to face the death penalty and execution than if you live in a blue state: the odds are 9-to-1.

For us, this is an intellectual exercise. But for Kenneth Foster Jr, it's his life. His case will be heard on 28 August by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles; he is scheduled for execution two days later. No one expects the Governor to intervene.

See Death Penalty Executions Hit 1,000, The Death Penalty (Capital Punishment) in the United States and Executions by State and Method of Execution.

From Around About: Death Penalty: The Only Justice for Killers?, Race and the Death Penalty - Is the Life of a White Person Worth More?, Recent Legal History of the Death Penalty in America, Top 10 Capital Punishment Videos